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Survey Productivity, Underground - What's New in TBC Tunneling v5.40

Complete Office Software for Tunnel Surveys

The latest release of Trimble Business Center, version 5.40, introduces major additions to the Tunneling module, bringing surveyors and construction professionals a complete office software for tunnel projects.


For Survey and Construction Professionals

Trimble Tunneling provides fast reliable solutions for survey and construction professionals to complete tunnel projects with confidence. Trimble Business Center (TBC) sits at the center of tunnel survey workflows providing a platform to manage all survey data such as total station, point cloud, and level, as well as tunnel designs and set out information. 

Once data has been collected in the field, TBC's processing and adjustment tools provide confidence in the survey data. Deliverables such as over/underbreak reports for excavation control or inspection heat maps for shotcrete thickness can be created from total station or scan data providing customized reports to meet client demands.

TBC has a variety of import and export formats to ensure you can work with your current tunnel design and BIM software packages. Not using Trimble survey instruments to collect data? Use the TBC 3rd party importer to import data from any survey software.


New Features

Perform all tunnel construction workflows and reporting using one software. From design and data prep to as-built reporting and point cloud processing, TBC Tunneling has tools to support the construction survey process.

  • Comprehensive as-built to as-built inspection analysis for shotcrete/excavation control 

  • Export inspection points for stake out in TA

Streamline design to field using automated tools and imports reducing office technician data preparation. TBC can now create Trimble tunnel designs automatically from imported CAD files greatly reducing manual data interpretation and input.

  • Reduce data prep time creating tunnel designs from imported CAD data automatically

  • Automated set out point creation from CSV import

Be productive with tunnel scan data using automated cleaning and noise removal in TBC. The new automatic classification for tunnel point clouds removes potential noise in a tunnel scan data set leaving a clean tunnel surface without machinery, equipment, duct work, and worked

  • Automatic cleaning of scan data using tunnel classification

What's New in TBC Tunneling v5.40


Import Tunnel Set Outs from Trimble Access

When assigning set outs to a tunnel, you can now import a CSV (.csv) text file containing set out information from Trimble Access. This method reduces the time required to create set out points in TBC. The required format for the CSV file can be found at https://help.trimblegeospatial.com/TrimbleAccess/latest/en/Tunnels_SetoutMethods.htm.

Demonstration Video


Create a Tunnel Shape from a CAD Object

Use the Create Tunnel Shape from CAD command to create a tunnel shape from a CAD object (for example, a CAD line, rectangle, or circle) that you imported or created in your project. This command streamlines the process of creating a tunnel design in TBC when a CAD design file is available.

Demonstration Video


Select Overbreak/Underbreak Tunnel Points

Use the Select Tunnel Points command to select assigned as-built tunnel points that exceed the overbreak/underbreak tolerance you specify. You can view the selected points in the Project Explorer and in the graphic views providing greater flexibility working with tunnel survey data.

Demonstration Video


Perform a Tunnel Inspection

Use the Create Tunnel Inspection Map command to create a tunnel inspection map that allows you to compare the shapes of two tunnel meshes using the Tunnel Inspection View. You can select to compare design tunnel mesh or as-built tunnel meshes to generate comprehensive inspection reports for excavation, shotcrete, and tunneling verification using scanning or total station.


Deviations between the two meshes are displayed using the "unfolded", flattened inspection map whose colors indicate the deviation between the compared meshes. Deviations are also displayed in a cross-section view that includes delta lines that are color-coded to indicate overbreaks and underbreaks, and in a deviation view that shows the deviation between the base mesh and comparison mesh at the specified station in a 2D graph. This is helpful in verifying tunnel shotcrete thickness and surface undulations

Demonstration Video for Tunnel Inspection Map

Demonstration Video for Tunnel Inspection View


Create Tunnel Inspection Points

Use the Create Tunnel Inspection Points command to create overbreak/underbreak points from a tunnel inspection map that can be used in Trimble Access to stake out areas that are out of tolerance, such as for shotcrete or excavation quality control.

Demonstration Video


Run a Tunnel Inspection Report

Run a customizable Microsoft® Word-based report based on a tunnel inspection map that compares the shape of two tunnel meshes to identify differences between them. The report contains information on the underbreak and overbreak areas and volumes for the entire specified tunnel inspection and at the specified station interval. This is useful for determining "hot spots" where there are discrepancies between the compared meshes, such as shotcrete and lining control.

Demonstration Video


Tunnel Classification

Extract a tunnel surface class and use it to create a tunnel surface point cloud region. You can then select to show/hide the point cloud region using the View Filter Manager, or you can export it to a different project or system.

Demonstration video


Next Steps

inspection map

The TBC Tunneling module is the complete office software for managing and reporting on tunnel survey construction data to provide confidence throughout the project. Combined with Trimble Access Tunnels field software and Trimble robotic total stations, tackle any tunnel project no matter the length or size.

Download TBC Viewer for free here.

Contact your local Trimble Distributor for a 30 day demo code.

Visit the Trimble Tunneling YouTube page for instructional videos on using TBC and Trimble Access software.

classification